Wood snacks on Korean short rib tacos from the Kogi BBQ truck. (Photograph by Dan Monick)

While the rest of young Hollywood counts carbs,
Elijah Wood is going to eat, and he’s going to eat well. The self-professed “food nerd” stars in the Tolkien films (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey premieres in December) and the FX series Wilfred. We sat down with him over duck pizza at Gjelina in Venice, CA, to talk about his mom’s cooking and what hobbits eat.

Your parents ran a deli in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Do you cook any of their dishes?

Elijah Wood: My mom does an amazing meatloaf, but instead of a loaf she makes little individual mounds and then wraps them in bacon and brushes them with a mixture that’s like a cross between ketchup and barbecue sauce. She also did these vegetable sandwiches topped with a spread that I still make to this day. It’s sour cream, dill, and Beau Monde seasoning.

Fresh dill?

EW: No! Dried. It’s old-school American style.

When you branch out, what do you cook?

EW: The most successful dish I’ve made at home is cassoulet. Traditionally it’s made with duck confit, but I do it with chicken thighs.

You just took a picture of our pizza.

EW: Those mushrooms look stunning. I always take pictures of my food.

Are you going to tweet that?

EW: I used to upload to Facebook almost religiously, but I think we do that too often now. People are experiencing life by way of their phones. It can get in the way of living in the moment.

What’s the taste of summer for you?

EW: Barbecue. I smoke brisket and ribs. I spend a lot of time in Austin, so I do it Texas style with a dry rub and smoke it for like seven or eight hours–or longer. I use cherry and apple wood.

With all that eating, how do you stay fit?

EW: If I’m going to a restaurant I’m excited about, I’ll eat as much as I want. The next day, I’ll eat brown-rice sushi and salads.

You play a hobbit. Hobbits eat seven meals a day. Do you?

EW: They eat like second breakfasts and elevenses. And no. I don’t know if I could.

But you’ve eaten lembas, the hobbit bread, in your role as Frodo. What does that taste like?

EW: I would say it’s almost like shortbread but not quite as crumbly or sweet.